Mobile impacting machine



Jan. 23, 1968 c. w. BERKOBEN ETAL 3,365,005

MOBILE IMPACT I NG MACHINE Filed Oct. 5, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet l MKM ' Arrarfwfrs Jan. 23, 1968 c. w. BERKOBEN ETAL MOBILE IMPACTING MACHINE Filed Oct.

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS M Efe/(052W 4free/vim Jan. 23, 1968 Filed Oct.

C. W. BERKOBEN ETAL MOBILE IMPACTING MACHINE l4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Jan. 23, 1968 c. W. BERKOBEN ETAL 3,355,005

MOBILE IMPACTING MACHINE V Filed Oct. i, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ArraeA/f/s United States Patent C) 3,365,095 MBILE HMPACTENG MACHNE Charles W. Bei-hohen, Troy, and Rog/ce 3. Hutchinson,

Sidney, Ohio, and Arthur Il'. Bent, Geneva, Ill., assignors to Westinghouse Air Brake Company, Wilmerding,

Pa., a corporation or" Pennsylvania Filed er. S, 1965, Ser. No. 493,03@ 1G Ciaims. (Cl. 173-43) ABSI'RAC' F THE DISCLGSURE A mobile impacting machine having an impacting tool mounted for reciprocation in a mast carried by a power driven vehicle and selectively swingable from an upright Working position to an approximately 'horizontal storage position, the mast being mounted to traverse an end of the vehicle during opera-tion.

Background Mobile impacting machines perform many jobs in the construction and road building industries requiring a hammering or percussive action, including breaking concrete, driving posts and pilings, cutting asphalt, and tamping back ll. The hammering action is generally provided by raising a weighted impacting or percussion tool along guides and allowing it to descend by gravity rapidly and heavily against the work with the tool being7 guided in its free fall along a vertical or near vertical mast. The weighted tool and guides are mounted on a power driven chassis by a support member.

To obtain the versatility required of a machine of this type, it is necessary that the machine be easily and quickly adjustable to alter the position of the tool and guides to direct the hammering action Where it is needed. For certain operations, a high degree of accuracy is required in the hammering action. In concrete or pavement breaking, it is necessary that the hammering tool be accurately movable in small increments along the work line. In tamping or compacting Work with such machines, the force of impact is dependent upon the height to which the tool is raised, and it is desirable to be able to control the drop distance. It is also desirable that the weighted ltool and carriage be adjustable to permit highspeed, over-the-road travel to the job site while also allowing for a creeping drive when working. In addition to the above criteria, it is imperative that the mobile hammering machine be ruggedly built to withstand the repititious shocks of the hammering action throughout the useful life of the machine.

As the support member provides the mount for the hammering tool on the machine, the attainment of the abovestated requirements of versatility and ruggedness is particularly focused on the design of the support member, particularly since support members employed in the past have not permitted complete attainment of all these desirable features.

Summary It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved portable impacting machine which obviates the disadvantages and objections attendant prior machines of this general type.

Accordingly, the present invention provides an improved mobile impacting machine having an improved support member and power actuating and control means for the hammering 4tool which are mechanically strong enough to resist the shock of the hammer blows yet which permits accurate stroking and positioning of the tool.

Further, the present invention provides an improved mobile hammering machine having a readily adjustable 3,355,3@5 Patented Jan. 23, 1968 drive and traverse means which is suiciently flexible to enable positioning and actuation of the hammering tool to a variety of work positions which additionally rendering the same suitable for over-the-road travel.

The drawings Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following speci-lisation and drawings, forming a part thereof, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of a typical mobile hammering machine embodying the improvements constituting the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary part-sectional View of the mast support and carriage means employed in the impacter of FIGURE l, taken along the line 2 2 of FIG- URE 3;

FIGURE 3 is another fragmentary part-sectional view of the support and carriage means, taken along the line 3 3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view taken along the line 4 4 of FIGURE 3 and including the driving means for traversing the mast support and carriage means;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary rear View taken in the direction of the arrows 5 5 in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary section through the drive and transmission mechanism or" the transporting vehicle with the parts shown in position for conventional over-theroad travel;

FGURE 7 is a similar section through the drive mechanism of the vehicle but with the clutch for conventional drive disengaged and the hydraulic Creeper drive in effective working condition; and

FIGURE 8 is a schematic diagram of the hydraulic system employed by the mobile impacting machine of the present invention.

Detailed description Turning now to the drawings, FIGURE 1 shows a mobile impacting machine designated generally by the number Z. The machine has a chassis d on which is mounted a rear engine 6. The machine is steered by the wheels S and propelled by the wheels tu. Dual drive wheels 16 may be utilized to better support the weigh-t of the hammering or impacting tool. Brackets 12 mounted on the front of the vehicle chassis 4 between driving wheels 19 pivotally positions the tool support member 1li which extends transversely across the front of chassis 4. A carriage 16 on the support member 14 provides a mounting for guides i3 which form the mast and extend vertically upward. Slidably positioned on guides 18 is hammering tool 20 which consists of weight 22 and a workpiece 24 in the nature of la tamping tool, breaker or bit. While a tool suitable for tamping is shown in FIGURE 1, it will be appreciated that the tool may be changed to fulfill the requirements of the job at hand. For example, a sharppointed, wedge-shaped tool may be utilized to cut asphalt while a blunt, wedge-shaped tool may be used for breaking concrete. Hammeringtool Ztl is raised along guides 18 by cable 2.6.

The operation of the impacting or hammering tool 26 is controlled by the hydraulic system shown in the various yigures and shown schematic detail in FIGURE 8. A hydraulic cylinder 28 mounted on guides 18 controls the raising of hammering tool 2@ along its normally vertical guides. The piston rod 3% of hydraulic cylinder 28 has a block and sheave 32 mounted thereon. A cable 26 is strung from hammering tool Ztl, through blocks and sheaves 3ft, 35 at the top of guides t8, through block 32 to an anchor at the top of guides 18. A retraction of piston 3o into cylinder 28 serves to raise hammering tool Ztl to a predetermined Vheight as determined by a control means hereinafter more fully described.

The sideways tilt of the mast to the left or right is controlled by hydraulic cylinder 3d which controls the positioning lof guides 1d about a pivot located on carriage 16. The fore and aft tilt of guides 18 and hammering tool 2@ is controlled by a hydraulic cylinder dit connected to arm 41 which controls the position of pivoted support member 14. By fully extending hydraulic cylinder 4Q, support member 14, carriage 1e, guides 18, and hammering ltool 2t) may be tilted to the rear along the right side of the vehicle suiciently to engage a catch 4.12 as shown in phantom in FIGURE 1. Catch ft2 retains the aforementioned structure in the `rearward position to permit over-the-road travel. Also, a safety hook or latch may be provided for retaining the mast in its raised working position.

Turning now to the transverse support member 14E, such member inciudes a front rail i5 having an upper flange 458, a lower flange 59, and a connecting web portion 52. Also included is a rear reaction member i:- having a laterally extending guide harige 56 mounted on the upper portion thereof, thev flange extending rearwardly away from the front rail 46 as shown. Rail i6 and member 54 are rigidly supported and retained in laterally spaced longitudinal alignment in approximately the same horizontal plane by a plurality of laterally spaced U -shaped members 58 joined by a front beam member 6i?. Traversing the lower medial portions of the U-shaped brackets 53 is a pivot mounting means 62 extending transversely of the vehicle and adapted to mate with brackets 12 to permit support member carriage 16, and the associated guides 18 and hammering tool 20 to tilt fore and aft. Also mounted on the U-shaped brackets 5S is a toothed rack 64, which extends upward from the brackets 53 and has a running surface 65 on the forward edge thereof.

The carriage 16 includes a tubular member ed positicned transverse to the support member ld. and to the axis of pivot means 62. A shaft 5S is journalled in tubular member 66 and fastened to the rear of guides 18 to provide a bearing means for the left and right tilting of guides 18 and hammering tool 2li. Mounted on the lower portion of tubular member 6e is a channel member iti having an outer depending portion 72, a top portion 74, and an inner depending portion '75. Channel 7d straddles the front rail 46, and a pair of large hanged rollers 7S are rotatably mounted on outer portion Z of channel 7? and are peripherally supported on one run of the lower ange 5d of rail lo adjacent web 52. The rollers 78 are peripherally spaced from the upper flange 4S, and a pair of smaller rollers Lii are adjustably mountt ed on the leg 72 of member 7@ to engage upper flange i8 of rail member d6. An additional pair of large flanged rollers 82 are mounted on the inner depending leg 7o of channel member 70 to peripherally engage and travel on the other mn of the lower flange 5e of rail member d6. The carriage is thus supported by the rollers 7S, d2 which are adapted to travel along the oppositely directed runs of the lower tiange Sti of the rail 45. Also, the rollers 80 are adjustable to properly peripherally engage the upper flange 4S of the rail 46 and thus aid in maintaining the rollers '78, S2 in proper peripheral contact with the ange Sil.

To complete the support and stabilize the structure, a plate 86 mounted on the rear end of tubular member de contains two pairs of unflanged rollers 88 and t?. These rollers are spaced to coact with guide flange 55 of the member 5d, and it is preferable to mount the rollers dd, 90 at an angle to the rollers 7S, 82 as shown for most effective stabilization and to minimize binding and the need for accurate alignment of the roller axes.

It will be appreciated that the above described structure provides a rugged, yet accurate, mounting for carriage i6 and the attached guides 1S and hammering tool 29. Specifically', the rollers 78, 82 in conjunction with rollers 8d and rollers SS, 9i) prevent undesirable vertical movement of carriage 15 in relation to support member 14. These rollers effectively support and stabilize while also preventing any pivoting of carriage le about rail member 45 or plate 5d, and the franges on rollers 78, 32 prevent any longitudinal displacement of carriage 16. A

The inner depending leg 75 of channel member '7d has thereto a mounting bracket 9o for a hydraulic motor 434i. The motor 44 has a gear 1%@ keyed to the output shaft 93 which meshes with a pinion gear 102 to drive the same. linion gear a02 is, in turn, rotatably mounted on a shaft 97 which is carried by the upper and lower arms 99 and 101 of a frame member 10d. These arms of the frame member 10d also contain bearings for the gear 16) driven by output shaft of motor 44 and support shaft S7. The frame member 1M is rotatively supported by means of a clamped split ring 16%5 surroundbearing 197. rEhe positioning member 16S loosely receives the shaft 7 at its upper portion. The member 103 serves to carry the rollers 84 which coact with the running surface 6.5 on the forward edge of rack member 6dto maintain the gears in proper position and alignment. The loose lit of shaft 97 in the member 103 thus permits the attached horizontal frame member 1M along with the pinion gear 1&2, and shaft 97 to pivot slightly about the output shaft of hydraulic motor 44. in other words, the frame member 19d, in cooperation with the rollers 84 and attendant structure, provides a flo-ating support-coupling the gears 1%, and swingaole to a'limited extent about the shafts 97, 9S to thereby maintain proper gear pitch line contact whiie providing for some small amount of lateral displacement between the beam structure 14 with rack e4 and carriage 16 with motor 44.

As shown in FGURE l, hammering machine 2 has an operators control station which includes a seat 1% and steering wheel 1&8. Also provided at the control station are the clutch, throttle, `and gear shift levers of the ordinary type for controlling motor 6 and a plurality of valves and selective controls for controlling the above-described hydraulic cylinders, hydraulic motor and creeper operation. These controls enable the operator to control vehicle travel, proper positioning of the mast and its attendant mechanism, hammer actuation and Creeper movement all from a single station.

Referring now to FGURES 6 and 7, the improved rnechanical-hydraulic drive and clutch mechanism for the vehicle is illustrated. A fragment of the conventional vehicle transmission is identified -by the numeral 150, and when the vehicle is traveling from site-to-site over a highway, it is driven in a conventional manner through the shaft 151 coupled to the flywheel i512 by the clutch 153 which may be of any well-known type having a face plate or disc 154 engageable as in FIG. 6 to drive the vehicle in a conventional manner. The clutch 153 is retractable through linkage 155, 156 upon shifting of a lever convenient to the operator and coupled with a motion transmission shaft 157. Retraction of the clutch 153 at the will of the operator disengages the disc 154, and the vehicle drive mechanism may then be powered by hydraulic means at a speed sufficiently slow and/ or intermittent to permit effective work performance by the impacting tool.

To couple the vehicle drive mechanism to the hydraulic system, a shift lever 15S, also convenient to the operator, is connected to a shiftable gear 15G as by means of throwout or actuating shaft 161 and suitable linkage. Thus, with the conventional transmission uncoupled as shown in FIG. 7, movement of the lever 158 to the right will shift the gear 16? into mesh with the gears 163v and 165 to thereby complete the drive chain from the hydraulic motor 168 to the vehicle drive shaft 151. The hydraulic motor will accordingly drive the vehicle at a desired i creeper or slow and/ or intermittent rate of speed which ray be readily timed with or adjusted to the hammer operation by the operator by selection of gear ratio through standard transmission 159 and actuation of hydraulic control as hereinafter described. The hammer carrying vehicle may therefore be selectively driven either in a conventional manner for over-the-road travel by mechanical means or by hydraulic power for creeper or slow speed travel during hammer operation.

FIGURE 8 schematically illustrates the hydraulic system employed on the machine 2 for controlling operation v of the impact tool, tilting of the mast and attendant structure, and Creeper or slow speed hydraulic operation of the vehicle. This system includes a main hydraulic control 21d which is located in a position convenient to the operator and which provides for both manual and automatic operation. As shown, hydraulic fluid is supplied from a reservoir Zl through a pair of filters 204, 296 located in the discharge lines from the reservoir. The outlet or discharge line from the hydraulic reservoir 290 is connected to a tandem hydraulic pump 208, 2i@ (through filters 264, 266.) for supplying operating iluid thereto. The hydraulic pump 268, which is preferably of greater capacity than the pump 210, is employed for raising the impact tool 29, the lift of which is controlled by the cylinder and piston 2S. The hydraulic pump Zl, is, in turn, employed to operate the hydraulic motor 44 for driving the carriage along the transverse support 14, for operating the hydraulic cylinders 38 and lll to tilt the mast and its attendant structure both sidewise and foreand-aft, and for supplying pressurized fluid to operate the Creeper motor d68.

As previously indicated, the impact forces of the workpiece 24 are dependent upon the free fall height of the hammer, and it is proposed herein to control this free fall height by a timer 22d which accurately controls the flow of pressurized operating fluid to the lift cylinder 28. The automatic timer 22E is likewise located conveniently to the vehicle operator and when set, this timer operates a pilot operated check valve 213, as through the solenoid valve 222, to regularly and at predetermined timed intervals conduct fluid under pressure to the upper end of the cylinder 255 to thereby lift the hammer and impact tool to a predetermined and regulated drop height and to subsequently interrupt fluid pressure ow at such regulated heights. As a safety measure in order to provide protection against overpressurizing of the hydraulic system, a relief valve 233 is interposed in the hydraulic line between the control valve 214 and the hydraulic pump 26S. An accumulator 215 and relief valve 216 are preferably interposed in the line between valve 214 and cylinder 23 in order to relieve sudden fluctuations in pressure due to pulsations in the system in normal and abnormal operation. Thus, the control 2id provides for raise, drop, and hold positions of the hydraulic cylinder 28 together with the weighted tool actuated by such cylinder, and the automatic timer 220, as set by the operator, is operable to regulate fluid pressure ow automatically and at regularly timed intervals to the lift cylinder 28 for lifting the hammer and impacting tool to predetermined drop heights when the control 2M is in raise position.

The operation of the hydraulic Creeper motor 168 from uid pressure created by the pump 216 is controlled by means of a control valve 224. As above described, the hydraulic motor 168 is connectable to the power train for driving the vehicle upon disengagement of the conventional vehicle drive from the usual power source by means of the clutch 153, and this hydraulic creeper motor is adapted to propel the machine 2 at speeds much slower than those which may be obtained (with conventional means) from the motor 6. The Creeper drive may thus be utilized to advantage when operating the impact mechanism of the machine so that the tool and its carriage traverse the transverse support 14 as the vehicle is either slowly or intermittently moving in a forward or rearward direction as determined by the operator, and this feature is particularly useful in pavement breaking operations and the like wherein it is desired to work upon relatively wide successive sections of roadway.

A control 226 may also be provided in the output line of the pump 210 for the purpose of controlling operation of the hydraulic motor 44 which is mounted on the carriage 16. When uid under pressure is conducted from the pump 2li) to the motor 44 as controlled by the operator, the carriage and the associated guides or mast 18 along with the hammering tool 20 are driven by the motor along the support member 14 transversely of the vehicle.

in addition, a control 22S may similarly be provided for controlling ow of fluid under pressure from the pump 2li) to the hydraulic cylinder 38 which is employed for sidewise tilting of the mast and guides 18 thereof along with the hammer tool 20. Additionally, a control 230 may be provided for controlling fluid flow from the pump 2li) to the hydraulic cylinder 4l) utilized for positioning the guides 18 and mast in fore-and-aft or upright and layback positions.

The return lines from valves 214, 216, 218, 230 to the reservoir 2li@ are preferably provided with a suitable oil cooler 232 in a conventional manner.

Various modes of carrying out the invention are contemplated as being within the scope of the following claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention.

We claim:

1. A mobile impacting machine comprising:

a power-driven wheeled chassis;

a means on said chassis providing a pivotal mounting at one end thereof;

a support member carried by said pivotal mounting and formed with a pair of laterally spaced tracks disposed in parallel relation to the pivot axis;

one of said tracks having a pair of spaced flanges and the other of said tracks having a single flange;

a carriage having sets of laterally spaced rollers engaged with said tracks to permit movement of said carriage therealong in a path extending transversely of said chassis;

one set of said rollers including at least one roller peripherally engaged with one of the spaced ilanges of said iirst mentioned track and at least one other roller engaged with the other ange of said first mentioned track, and the other set of said rollers including at least one roller peripherally engaged with one side of the flange of said second mentioned track and at least one other roller engaged with the other side of the flange of said first mentioned track;

guide means mounted on said carriage for movement therewith along said tracks;

an impacting tool carried by said guide means for reciprocating movement therealong; and

means connected with said impacting tool for raising the same to predetermined drop heights.

2. A mobile impacting machine according to claim 1, wherein the rear track is angularly inclined relative to the front track.

3. A mobile impacting machine according to claim l, wherein the rollers which are engaged with the upper ange of the front track are adjustably mounted for movement toward and away from the lower flange of said front track.

4. A mobile impacting machine according to claim l, wherein the rollers peripherally engaged with the lower ange of the front track include at least one roller on one side of said track and at least one other roller on the opposite side of said track.

5. A mobile impacting machine comprising:

a power-driven wheeled chassis;

means ou said chassis providing a pivotal mounting at one end thereof.

a support member carried by said pivotal mounting and formed with a pair of laterally spaced tracks and an intermediate rack all disposed in parallel relation to the pivot taxis;

said rack having teeth extending from one side thereof and a plain guide surface on the opposite side thereof;

a carriage having rollers engaged with each of said tracks to permit movement of said carriage there-- along in a path extending transversely of said chassis;

said carriage also having a gear drivingly engaged with the teeth of said rack and a roller peripherally coacting with the plain guide surface thereof;

means mounted on said carriage for driving said gear to move said carriage along said tracks;

guide means mounted on said carriage for movement therewith;

an impacting tool carried by said guide means for reciprocating movement therealong; and

means connected with said impacting tool for raising the same to predetermined drop heights.

6. A mobile impacting machine according to claim 5, wherein the gear which drivingly engages the rack is carried by a shaft which is loosely mounted to provide a floating support for said gear.

7. A mobile impacting machine according to claim 5, wherein the gear which drivingiy engages the rack is driven by a hydraulic motor through a gear mounted on the motor shaft, the driven gear eing carried by a shaft Which is loosely mounted on the carriage to permit said driven gear to oat to a limited extent.

8. A mobile impacting machine according to claim l, wherein a hydraulic cylinder is mounted on the mast and has an extendable piston conneced with the impacting tool, the cylinder being connected with a source of pressurized operating uid, a timer being provided for controlling the new of pressurized operating iluid to actuate the tool.

i). A mobile impacting machine according to claim l, wherein hydraulically operable means is connected be'- tween the chassis and the support member for swinging the support member and the guide means carried thereby from a substantially vertical position to a substantially horizontal position overlying the chassis.

li). A mobile impacting machine according to claim Il, wherein rst and second power transmission means are provided together with means for selectively coupling and uneonpling said first and second power transmission means with the Wheels of the chassis to thereby drive the Wheels and transport the chassis at normal and abnormal rates of speed respectively.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,069,138 l/l937 Feeney 74--27 2,732,197 l/l956 Cornett 173-43 X 2,805,847 9/l957 Malloy 173-22 2,832,567 4/1958 Fletcher et al 308-6 X 3,088,385 5/1963 Dorkins et al. 173-28 X 3,172,483 3/1965 Spitzer 173-28 X FRED C. MATTERN JR., Prnmry Examiner.

. KESSLER, Assistant Examiner'. 

